Mikayla Matthews opens up about The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives reunion and says Demi’s comments were triggering

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives returned to the spotlight after Mikayla Matthews shared a TikTok on December 9, 2025. In the video, she talked about her reaction to the season 3 reunion, which aired on December 4.

Mikayla said the cast filmed for about 12 hours and explained,

“It’s hard to get 12 hours of footage down to an hour.”

She told viewers she wanted to share her own thoughts because many people had questions about what happened on and off camera.

Mikayla said she felt strongly about the way certain parts of the reunion were shown and how some comments were handled. She spoke mainly about moments involving Demi Engemann.

Mikayla said she felt “triggered” when Demi brought up her story and the stories of other cast members who had shared past experiences of assault. She said these topics were important to her and that hearing them used during the reunion made her feel uncomfortable.

Mikayla also said she wished there had been more space for her own storyline. She explained that she opened up about painful events during filming and hoped the reunion would give her a chance to talk about them in a clear way. 

The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Demi Engemann’s reunion comments and cast reactions

A large part of the reunion focused on Demi Engemann and her past claims about Marciano Brunette. Demi said that Marciano crossed a line during filming when cameras were not recording.

This led to a discussion with the cast. When Jen Affleck said she believed something different happened in Italy, Demi responded by saying, “Jen, you don’t understand because you’ve never been sexually assaulted.” Jen then replied, “Yes, I have.”

After that, Demi tried to speak to Mayci Neeley and asked her to consider a comparison. Demi said, “What if you said you got raped by your abuser or you got slapped or whatever?” and asked how the group might react afterward.

Other cast members stepped in and said the comparison did not fit the situation. They also reminded Demi that Mayci had spoken about her past experience with an unnamed ex and that it was not helpful to compare the two events.

Mikayla explained in her TikTok that this part of the reunion stayed with her. She said she felt herself pull away from the conversation and said she became “very disassociated” while Demi was talking.

Mikayla also told viewers that her facial expressions during the reunion showed how she felt in the moment. She said the cast reacted as they did because the topic was serious for many of them.

She added that she thought the way the discussion unfolded made it hard for people to follow what each person was trying to say. Mikayla said she wanted viewers to understand why the group reacted quickly during that exchange and why it became such a major moment online.

Mikayla Matthews discusses her own reunion storyline

In the second half of her TikTok, Mikayla spoke about how her personal storyline appeared in the reunion. She said she shared difficult parts of her past during filming and hoped the reunion would give time to talk about them.

She told viewers, “I feel like my story was pushed under the rug,” explaining that only a short section of her segment was included in the final edit.

Mikayla said she believed the reunion could have been a place to ask more questions about her experience and allow people to understand what she had shared throughout the season.

She said she expected more time to talk because her story had taken many weeks to film. Mikayla also said she knew the reunion had time limits, but hoped producers would show more of the discussion.

She ended her TikTok by saying she wished the moment had been handled “in a more delicate way.” She did not give details on how she would change the reunion but said she wanted viewers to know why the episode felt incomplete from her point of view. Mikayla encouraged people to watch the season to understand the full timeline of events.
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